


Stakes and Coffins

by Cakes_Are_Great



Series: Stakes and Coffins Story and one-shots [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Blood and Injury, Character Turned Into Vampire, Deceit Sanders Has Vitiligo, Female Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Female Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Female Logic | Logan Sanders, Female Morality | Patton Sanders, Multi, Polyamory, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Vampire Bites, Vampire Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:21:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 17,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23933725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cakes_Are_Great/pseuds/Cakes_Are_Great
Summary: Victoria Hutchins is a vampire, but she wasn't always this way. Follow along as she finds out the harsh truth that her parents are hiding from her, and meet the friends she makes along the way. But then she's captured by the institute, a place where many vampires go in but never come out. How will Victoria face this new challenge?This is inspired by a story called Coffin by KierraEliseson. It's really good, you should go check it out.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Series: Stakes and Coffins Story and one-shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993687
Comments: 16
Kudos: 51





	1. First Day of School

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fic I've posted so let me know if I've missed any tags or warnings. I don't really have an update schedule but I'll try to post as often as I can.

“Victoria, come on down it’s time for school!” A voice from downstairs yelled. It was her mother.

"Coming!" Victoria sighed, anxiety thrumming. Victoria felt sick as today was her first day of school. Mom told her that it'd be great for her to make some friends. Victoria put her clothes on and walked downstairs to get breakfast from her mother. 

"Hey, sweetie," Her mom said as she sat down at the table handing Victoria a piece of toast, "I'm going to be driving you to school today. Dad had a meeting at work, so it's going to be the two of us okay?"

"Okay," Victoria was used to her dad leaving at weird times, she learned that she shouldn't be disappointed. After all, mom always says Dad's work is important, "When's Dad gonna get back?"

"Not until after your bedtime," Mom answered as she started packing Victoria's lunch, "But I figured that you'd be nervous today so I decided that we should go get ice cream after school today so you have something to look forward to!" She added on after seeing Victoria's crestfallen face. 

Victoria finished eating and took the backpack mom handed to her before they both went outside to the car. Mom pulled out of the driveway before driving Victoria to school, the whole time Victoria was mentally preparing for the day.

Before she knew it mom was pulling into the parking lot and opening the door to help Victoria out. Victoria took a deep breath, grabbed her mom's outstretched hand and walked into the school. 

"Victoria," She turned around and looked at her mom, "Remember, that no matter what happens I'm always going to be proud of you no matter what happens, okay?"

Victoria looked at her mom, she looked like she was about to cry. Taken aback Victoria quickly nodded and gave a muttered "Okay," before going into the classroom.

////////////

Victoria decided that she hated school, and it wasn't even lunch yet. The teacher was nice enough but the other students were mean. Teasing her and calling her names because she looked different. Victora knew she was pale, she knew that her eyes were different colours, but mom always said they were special! After the teacher had everyone introduce themselves she told everyone where they would be sitting and the groups they had for playtime. 

The table that Victoria was sitting at had 5 other people, 3 were girls, two were boys. After they sat down they completely ignored Victoria, talking to each other about what hey wanted to do during free time. There were four other groups and four stations. There was an arts and crafts table, a place in the corner where there was a little house set up, a place with bins full of link-n-logs and legos, and a place where there were computers where they could play math games.

"I want to go play house!" One of the girls said.

"Yeah! Can I be the mom?" Another asked. Everyone started picking what they wanted to be, a red-haired girl wanted to play as a daughter, while a girl with dirty blonde hair was arguing with a brown-haired girl over who got to be the mom, while the boys (begrudgingly) decided they would play as the dad and brother.

"Can I be the sister?" Victoria asked, trying to get their attention. They all fell silent, staring at her. Victoria shifted in her seat, she didn't like being the centre of attention.

"What makes you think we want to play with you?" The red-haired girl asked scathingly. 

"Because we're in a group together?"

The blonde girl laughed glaring at her, "That doesn't mean we want to play with you," The brown-haired girl nodded, "You're weird!"

"Oh...O-okay" Victoria furiously blinked back tears, she didn't want to cry her first day here. After all, they were already making fun of her.

"Just stay away from us freak," one of the boys said, "We don't want to catch your disease."

Victoria watched as the kids started moving towards the house area. They all smiled and played together happily without her. Her heart sank, if this is how the first day went then she didn't want to come back tomorrow. The other kids were cruel, it was loud and everything seemed to close in on her. She wasn't nervous anymore she was sad, Victoria wanted to go home and forget that she had to go to school. 

But mom would be disappointed. She was so excited for Victoria to start school saying that she'd have a great time and make lots of friends once she got over her nervousness. Mom said Dad would be happy too. Victoria decided that she would do this for mom, she wanted mom to be happy.

"Victoria, what are you doing all by yourself," Victoria looked up and saw her teacher was crouched next to her he looked at her sympathetically, "Don't you want to play with your group?"

Victoria shook her head, if they didn't want to play with her why would she force them? It wasn't going to change anything. 

"Why not?"

Victoria shrugged "I just don't want to play right now."

"C'mon, it can't be that bad," He encouraged "You can play as their sister or something!"

Victoria shook her head "I want to be left alone."

Her teacher sighed "Alright."

///////////

Kids are mean. 

It was now recess and Victoria was sitting against the wall in the shade. During lunch, Victoria tried talking to the other kids in her class. All of them brushed her off or flat out ignored her. She ended up sitting alone during lunch, too tired to cry and too anxious to find someone to sit with. She didn't want the teacher to come over and force her to sit with her group, she just wanted to be alone. 

Unfortunately for her, the teacher didn't feel the same.

"Victoria, why aren't you sitting with your group?"

"I don't want to sit with them," Victoria opened her lunch and pulled out her sandwich, starting to eat, "And they don't want to sit with me."

The teacher was silent for a moment before responding, "Why don't they want to sit with you?" Victoria stared at the teacher for a second before responding.

"'Cause I'm a freak."

"No, you're not"

"What?" Victoria was baffled, whenever mom took her out to the park the other kids were always mean to her because of her eyes. That was the reason why she stopped going to the park instead, spending most of her time inside. She had hoped that school would be different. Spoiler alert, it wasn't.

"You're not a freak," He repeated gently, "I'll tell you what, I'll talk to your classmates after recess and if they're mean to you, you can sit here while I talk to them. But tomorrow I want you to try and sit with them, okay?"

"Okay."

Spurred on by what her teacher told her Victoria started feeling more confident in herself. She tried asking the other students to let her play with them, but again they refused. Giving up Victoria had sat down against the wall for some peace and quiet while she willed herself not to cry.

"Who are you?" A new voice cut through her thoughts. Victoria jumped and whipped her head around to find who spoke. He had light brown hair and tan skin with splotches of white splashed across his face and arms. 

Trying her best not to stare Victoria told him, "Victoria. who are you?"

"My name's Janus," There was a moment of silence, "I haven't seen you around here, are you new?"

"Y-yeah, today's my first day."

"They made fun of you 'cause of your eyes, didn't they?"

"What," Victoria was startled, she didn't know how Janus found that out, curling in on herself she lowered her eyes, "O-oh...yeah" Victoria trailed off.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Janus said bitterly, "They make fun of me too."

"How old are you?" Janus asked sitting down beside Victoria, "I'm eight, and I'm in Miss. Cooper's class."

"I'm seven," Victoria glanced over at Janus watching as he started picking at his nails, "I'm in Mr. Davis' class."

"He's nice, I had him last year." 

They both watched from where they sat against the wall as the other kids played a game of tag chasing each other around the playground, some kids were playing some hopscotch and others kicked a ball around. They were two outsiders looking in.

"Do you know what having two different coloured eyes is called?" Janus asked suddenly. Victoria shook her head staring at him curiously. 

"No, why?"

"I want to be a doctor when I grow up, I want to show the others that I'm capable of stuff," Janus responded, "That way, they'll stop making fun of people."

"What is your condition is called?" Victoria asked.

"The doctors said it's called Vitiligo," Janus said sullenly, "and no, there's no way to 'fix it' my parents already tried. They think it makes me look weird." They were both quiet for a moment.

"I think it makes you look cool!" Victoria exclaimed

"Really?"

"Yeah! Like some kind of superhero!"

Janus smiled, "I think your eyes make you look cool too."

For the first time that day, Victoria smiled.

Yeah, kids can be mean but others can be nice.

//////////

"Mom!" Victoria yelled running through the crowd towards her mother. Her spirits had lifted considerably since recess. Victoria stopped panting as her mom crouched down to her height.

"How was school?" She asked letting Victoria catch her breath for a second before standing up and leading her towards the car.

"It was great! I made a new friend today! His name's Janus and he's older than me and he's really nice!"

They both got into the car with Victoria rambling on about her day before they parked at the ice cream shop. They got their ice cream and headed home.

"Alright, dinner will be ready in an hour. Until then you can watch some cartoons on the TV before I call you okay?" Mom asked as she threw their empty ice cream cups in the garbage and made her way towards the kitchen.

"Okay, mom." Victoria sat down on the couch and turned the TV on where she was greeted with an episode of Spongebob.

/////

"Thanks, mom! Dinner was really good," Victoria yelled as she ran up the stairs to get ready for bed, "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Victoria!" Her mom yelled back.

Victoria missed how her mom smiled softly at her antics, and how that smile turned into a look of fear as the front door opened.


	2. Different Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria is now ten and Janus is eleven they've started to fight back against their bullies and avoid them but it never works. When Victoria gets home there's a surprise waiting for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and changed Deceit's name to Janus.

"Victoria, are you even listening?" Her teacher asked, jolting Victoria out of her thoughts.

Victoria had zoned out, the teacher droning on about something in the background. But who could blame her? Today was the last day of school, and she was planning on spending the summer with Janus. 

The two had become fast friends, being the odd ones out. Both being targets for bullies and in Victoria's case.. They both worked as a support system for each other. Janus helps ground Victoria whenever she panics and Victoria helps Janus when his parents become too much. Janus had started acting tough, talking back to the bullies and in some instances, fighting them. Whenever someone goes to the teacher to report the fighting their bullies always twist the story making them the victims. One time the fighting got so bad they had a separate meeting with the parents.

Victoria shivered, the memory sending a chill down her spine. Her mom -as always- came because dad was at work (why does it seem as if he's never home anymore?), both Janus' parents came and if looks could kill, Victoria and Janus would be dead. Of course, the other parents had started screaming when anyone suggested that their, "Precious darlings," had done anything wrong. 

Victoria's mom pulled her away from everyone the first chance she got, hoping it would prevent her from panicking. Victoria could still hear the screaming as they walked away, this time accompanied by two different voices she'd only heard in passing - Janus' parents.

After the meeting, Victoria had refused to talk to anyone other than Janus and her family. While Janus continued to act out. Whenever they weren't in class the two were inseparable.

"Well? I'm waiting," Victoria looked up, meeting Mrs. Miller's icy stare. She shook her head, Mrs. Miller scoffed and turned her gaze to the rest of the class before walking to the front of the classroom. "I hope the rest of you were paying attention, since Miss. Smith doesn't take too kindly to people ignoring her lessons."

Now it was Victoria's turn to scoff. Miss. Smith was the teacher most of the class would be getting next year. Janus was in her class and once he found out she'd be going there he told her that Miss. Smith was nice, she just had a short temper, making some of the other kids scared of her.

"Alright, I hope everyone has a good summer and I'll see you next year!" Mrs. Miller had to yell the last part to be heard over the bell ringing.

///////

"Hey! Victoria, there you are!" Victoria looked behind her to find Janus rushing towards her. Victoria smiled.

"I was about to start walking home without you," She said, "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, Miss. Smith had us all come back into the classroom because someone left their shoe and she didn't want it to sit there all summer," Janus complained, "Are you doing anything tomorrow? I found this cool hiding spot in the woods behind my house." Victoria shrugged.

"I'm not sure, mom says dad's supposed to come back tomorrow but I'm not sure. I might be able to sneak away though."

"Hey, freaks!" A familiar voice yelled - it was Brandon, Victoria sighed they had taken a new way home to avoid Brandon and his lackeys but they always managed to find them.

Janus turned to face them glaring. "What do you want?" Brandon has been bullying Victoria for the past three years and Janus for longer.

"We just wanted to give you and that mute freak a proper goodbye." Brandon gave a very twisted grin, he started moving forward, his buddies following behind. Janus stood his ground, Victoria standing beside him. 

Brandon lunged, trying to knock them off their feet. Janus kicked him in the stomach while the others went to each of their sides. Victoria looked at the one grinning at her, his name was Noah, he was as old as her but taller. He went to punch her in the face just as she ducked putting him off balance. Victoria looked over at Janus. Leah was on his side; she was already sporting a black eye and was clutching her stomach. Brandon was trying to kick Janus' feet out from under him, Janus was somehow still standing with a cut on his cheek and a bleeding lip.

Noah went to punch her again, hitting her in the side of her head. Victoria's vision was blurring together as she felt something kick her shin. By some miracle, she managed to stay on her feet and avoid most of the hits. By the time her vision came back, she was greeted with a fist coming closer to her face. Time seemed to slow as Victoria moved to avoid the fist. It threw Noah off balance again, this time Victoria hit him. 

She watched as one by one the bullies ran away leaving both of them bruised and panting. Janus wiped the blood off his chin and started pressing his sleeve against his lip. They both went home in silence.

/////////

"Mom. I'm home!" Victoria yelled, closing the door behind her. 

Mom walked downstairs and pulled Victoria into a hug once she noticed the bruises.

"Brandon?" 

Victoria nodded not wanting to speak right now. Mom pulled Victoria into the living with an ice pack letting her rest for a bit. Victoria could hear her mom grumbling in the kitchen. 

The sound of the door opening alerted Victoria that someone was coming in. Looking at the newcomer a smile rested on her face.

''Dad!"

Victoria missed how her mom's head whipped up as the blood drained from her face.

"Hey, pumpkin," He stopped noticing her bruises, "What happened?"

"I got into a fight." She responded the same time her mom said, "It was the bullies again."

Victoria watched as dad looked over to mom as soon as she started speaking, she watched the flash of red come from his eyes but disregarded it as her imagination. 

"I still don't get why she doesn't tell her teacher."

"She did. They didn't believe her or her friend."

"Idiots."

Her mom sighed, "Nevermind go wash your hands, dinner's ready."

Dad didn't eat anything.

///////

Once they made sure Victoria was asleep her dad finally ate. She never heard the muffled sobs coming from her parents' bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, questions, and constructive criticism is welcome. Let me know what you think.


	3. Finding Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria is now thirteen, what happens when it gets harder and harder for her parents to hide their secret? But more importantly, how will she react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took a little while for me to decide where I wanted to go with this chapter. But I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. Sorry, it's so short, it was pretty hard to write.

Victoria had to get away. She had to run as far away as possible, she couldn't go back.

Victoria had come from school early because of a miscommunication between the school board and the teachers. Today was supposed to be a PA day. Victoria had been ecstatic, she and Janus decided to go to their hideout and play some board games. Victoria was running back to her house to drop off her bag when she saw them.

Her mother was passed out on the couch, there were two holes in her neck where she was bleeding heavily. She must've made some sort of noise because the next thing she knew her dad was standing in the middle of the living room, eyes red and blood dripping down his chin. 

Shocked, Victoria had frozen. For a minute it was as if the world had stopped moving, then her dad moved forward and Victoria bolted. The only thing going through her head was my dad's a vampire repeating like a mantra, over and over, and over again. In her blind panic, Victoria had gone to the only place she could think of. 

The little clearing surrounded by trees with a river crossing through the middle. Janus had shown her the clearing when she was ten since then the two of them claimed it as their own. It was a safe space, a place where the two of them could get away from the world and pretend that everything was fine, even if it lasted for only a moment.

Victoria crashed through the trees and fell into the clearing startling Janus who was sitting on a rock, waiting for her. With the help of Janus, Victoria managed to calm down and get her breathing under control.

"What happened?" Janus asked breaking through the silence once she managed to breathe. Victoria shivered, trying to forget the scene she had witnessed.

"Do you think that...that vampires and werewolves are real?" Victoria asked trying to avoid answering his question. Janus raised an eyebrow at her.

"It depends, sometimes I think I see a person with red eyes or teeth that look sharper than normal. Or when we found that guy on our way here one time and he looked confused when we asked him what he was doing," He answered carefully, "Why do you ask?"

"Well...I um...I think that-that my dad may be a vampire..." Victoria said hesitantly she winced when Janus turned to look at her she was worried that he wouldn't believe her. If Janus didn't believe her, Victoria didn't know what she'd do.

"What makes you think that?" Janus eventually asked.

"My dad's eyes were red and he had blood on his chin," Victoria said bluntly. Janus' eyes widen.

"I was wondering when you'd figure it out."

"What?" Victoria was shocked, Janus smiled softly.

"My parents are vampire hunters I can recognize what a vampire looks like a mile away." Victoria sat in shock for a minute.

"You're just telling me now?" Victoria exclaimed.

"I didn't want you to think I was weird. I don't think that what my parents are doing is right."

"What am I going to do?" Victoria groaned.

"You're going to have to find out, maybe talk to your parents and work things out, see how you'll go forward from here."

Victoria sighed, she didn't know if she dared to go back to her house. She knew she had to get over this, she didn't have anywhere else to go.

"You're right...I'll talk to them when I get back." A beat.

"I-um...I have something to tell you too..." 

"What is it?" Victoria was curious it was unlike Janus to sound this defeated.

"I'm moving," Janus looked over at her, "My parents said that they need to help some of the other hunters in England. We're moving there next week."

//////

"Victoria! There you are, I was worried about you." Her dad greeted her as she walked through the door. She didn't think she could bring herself to look at him.

"Yeah..." The tension was so thick Victoria thought she could cut through it with a knife.

"Victoria!" A weak voice came from the living room. Victoria rushed into the room, her mom was propped up against a mound of pillows, she looked pale and was shaking.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be. It only hurts for a little bit." Victoria nodded. She glanced over to where her dad had come into the room.

"We were scared to tell you," Her dad started, "We didn't know how you'd react."

"So you kept this from me?"

"We didn't want you to get scared." Her mom soothed

"We were going to tell you eventually," Dad said, "We wanted to wait until you were older, we didn't want you to panic and run off like that."

"Things are going to be different now," Her mom said gently, "We're going to have to set some new rules. We know it's going to be difficult, but we'll get through this. We always do."

"I think we should talk about this more in the morning. For now, let's go to bed. I think we all need it." Victoria looked at her dad nodding.

She started going up the stairs, her brain still processing everything. It was going to be hard for her going through this without the support of her only friend but she had to try. 

Victoria fell onto the bed almost immediately passing out. A part of her wishing that this was all just a bad dream.

//////

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, questions and constructive criticism are welcome! Let me know what you think.


	4. Sweet Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria is turning sixteen, it's supposed to be a very happy day. Victoria doesn't feel happy. From high school drama to her own mental health, things aren't looking so good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Character death, blood, gore, depression, mentions of suicide.

Victoria opened her eyes slowly, she reached for her phone looking at the time. 6:28 pm. Great. getting up Victoria started gathering her books and binders scattered around her. Ever since high school started Victoria had started spending more and more time in her clearing. 

Putting her books in her bag she slung it over her shoulder, her phone buzzed as she tried to get the knots out of her hair. It was her mom. 

Mom - Where are you?  
Sent at 6:30 pm

I'm coming home I just lost track of time.  
Seen at 6:31 pm

Mom - Well hurry up! We have a surprise for you!  
Sent at 6:32 pm

I told you I don't want anything big for my birthday.  
Seen 6:32 pm

Mom - Just hurry up!  
Sent at 6:33 pm

Victoria sighed she had explained to her parents that she didn't want to celebrate her birthday. To her, it was just another day she didn't see the point. But year after year, without fail they always seemed to ignore her wishes. She appreciated the effort, but it just didn't feel right without someone - other than her parents - to celebrate it with.

Victoria started making her way back home. Victoria knew that she was going to have to spend almost all night working on her homework. After Janus left her, she just, stopped caring. She stopped fighting back, she stopped trying to make friends, and she stopped paying attention in class. A part of her knew she was being pathetic. But she didn't care. Because her grades had started slipping she had started doing a bunch of extra credit work. She still wanted to graduate, maybe even try going to college. It would make her mom happy. 

Her mom was the only reason she hadn't offed herself in the first place. She was the only constant left in Victoria's life. If Victoria left, her mom would be devastated. She could care less about what her dad thought, he stopped leaving for days on end when his secret came out. But that didn't mean Victoria was happy about it. In her eyes, he stopped being her dad when he decided it was better he didn't stick around. She understood his reasoning, sure but that didn't mean she thought there was a better way for him to handle it.

A piercing scream ripped through the air, startling Victoria out of her daze. In a panic, Victoria ran the rest of the way home, throwing open the door she was greeted with a pitch-black house. She fumbled for the lightswitch for a minute before she turned on the lights and closed the door behind her. 

"Mom? Dad?" She tentatively called out. 

Victoria made her way into the kitchen where a cake sat, there was a small present sitting beside it. Victoria made her way into the living room, where she screamed. 

"M-mom?"

Victoria rushed to her side, there was blood everywhere. Her expression was frozen in fear, glassy eyes staring at the ceiling. Tears were rolling down Victoria's cheeks. This wasn't happening, she refused to believe it. There was no way. Looking at where the source of the blood came from Victoria discovered that her mom's throat was ripped clean out. 

Victoria pulled her phone out of her pocket, she had to call the police. A dark laugh sounded behind her, causing her to freeze.  
Whipping her head around Victoria was met with the sight of her father. His eyes were crimson, unfocused, there was blood on his clothes. 

"D-dad?"

He started walking towards her, there was a manic glint to his eyes. Victoria stumbled back, she tripped over her mother's corpse falling on the ground hard. Frantically Victoria tried to stand up, run away, do something! She was pushed back on the ground her head cracking on the ground beneath her. There was a pain in her neck like someone was injecting lava into her veins. She cried out, a hand slammed down on her face muffling her screams. Victoria's vision went blurry before she closed her eyes and was welcomed by a black abyss.

///////

Victoria woke up, her head was pounding. Her memories from the night before were fuzzy. Groaning, Victoria tried to sit up. That was a mistake. Her vision swam, turning to her nightstand Victoria reached for her phone, 10:46. She was late for school! Victoria threw the blankets off her and hurried down the stairs. She ran into something.

"Victoria? What're you doing up?" Looking up Victoria saw her dad looking at her with a mixture of shock and concern. 

"I'm late for school!" When she tried pushing past him she collapsed. 

"What makes you think you're going to school," he asked helping her sit down on the couch. She gave him a questioning look. He sighed, "You don't remember, do you?" Victoria was starting to get worried.

"Remember what?"

"Victoria, You're a vampire." 

It was as if someone broke a dam, all the memories of the previous night came flooding in. She sobbed.

"Y-you, k-killed mom..."

"I'm so sorry, I-I lost control. I-I couldn't..." Her dad choked out. It was as if the world was crashing down around her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her dad get up, turn on the TV and go into the kitchen. 

Victoria was in shock, she couldn't believe it. The only person she had left died, and technically, she did as well. Her dad came back into the room holding out a bag with what smelled like blood inside. Victoria didn't know how she knew that.

"Here," Her dad put the bag in front of her, "This'll help."

As if against her will Victoria bit down on the bag, letting the blood come into her mouth. Victoria was unsure about a lot of things. Once she drained the bag her senses became clearer. She could see everything better, and she could hear the near-silent TV, barely managing to catch what it was saying.

"-Apparently, the government has created a hunter's organization called 'The Institute' that captures and kills vampires, they sent out a warning saying to stay indoors at night and look out for anyone who-"

Victoria tuned the TV out. This was not how she expected her day to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, questions and constructive criticism are welcome. Let me know what you think.


	5. Bad News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria's dad brings them to a coven that he used to be in before he got married in an effort to save them from the hunters. What will happen when that plan backfires?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Character death, attempted suicide, depression.

Victoria wanted to cry. Her dad was grabbing anything he could find and shoving it into a suitcase. He kept muttering things under his breath, Victoria kept hearing snippets of what he was saying.

"-Stupid Institute, of course, you'd choose now to-"

"-Where are we even going to go-"

"-But I haven't seen them in years-"

"-Our only hope..."

Soon enough dad grabbed onto Victoria's hand, dragging her out of the house and shoving her into the car. She watched as he threw their luggage into the trunk and slamming the door to the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. Victoria jolted forward as dad shot out of the driveway.

"W-where are we going?"

"We're going to visit an old friend of mine."

"What's their name?"

"Thomas."

/////

Victoria watched as trees and bushes flew by, they were so far away from the road that she hadn't seen another person for miles. She watched as they turned into a clearing with a huge house standing alone in the middle. There were flowers scattered all over, and what looked like a garden near a river that flowed near some trees. There was hardly any sunlight coming through the branches overhead. Her dad stopped the car and went around to grab their luggage, as Victoria went to help him someone came out of the house. 

He was 5'9, with brown hair. He was wearing a pink shirt with a star in the middle and jeans. He had a big smile on his face.

"Hey, Greg! Long time no see!" He shouted as he made his way over to them.

"Hi Thomas, sorry for coming uninvited, but we need a place to stay. The hunters revealed themselves to the public, and with Victoria...I just couldn't take that chance..." Thomas' eyes flickered to her.

"You turned her, didn't you?" Thomas looked at dad sympathetically. The two of them seemed to have a silent conversation before Thomas looked behind him.

"Dot! Larry! Can you come help me with the luggage?"

Victoria's gaze snapped to the people in question, they both walked over giving her a small smile before helping Thomas bring the bags inside.

/////

Victoria sighed as she sat down next to Emile. They were both sitting next to the garden in a patch of wildflowers. Victoria remembered when she first came here. They had hit it off immediately, he helped teach her how to live life as a vampire. Teaching her how to hunt and hide her eyes when she started getting hungry. Emile had helped her with her anxiety and depression after he had found her on the floor of her room sobbing with knives surrounding her after she tried to kill herself.

After explaining everything to Thomas, he agreed to let him train her instead of her dad. It took her a long time to control herself, even now two years later, she was still learning. After Thomas had welcomed her into the coven it took her a while to become friends with the others. She became friends with Dot and Larry next, they both refused to keep her out of their sight after the incident, both of them became parents to her. They helped her when things became tough, or when she had nightmares about her mom. They'd told her on multiple occasions that she felt like a daughter to them.

Remy was next, he always managed to make her laugh and supplied her with blood when she wasn't able to get any. He got her addicted to coffee but not nearly as much as he was. After Remy came Eliott, they were both quiet and it helped when the others became too much. Both of them were able to sit in silence just reading or enjoying each other's company. Lastly came Thomas, she was wary of him when she first came to the house because she found him somewhat intimidating. Out of everyone in the coven, he was the oldest. Victoria couldn't help but feel silly whenever she thought about that. Thomas was anything but intimidating, he had helped her feel welcome and introduced her to many Disney movies she'd never heard of. He told her about musicals like Be More Chill, Heathers, and Hamilton. Victoria felt as if she belonged with them.

Emile looked over at her, "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, it's stupid."

He gave her a disbelieving look. He went to say something else but a shout interrupted him.

"HUNTERS!"

A scream sounded not long after the shout. From where she sat Victoria could see swarms of people, young and old alike. The scent of death overwhelmed her. Victoria ran towards the sound of the scream.

"Victoria! Wait!"

Busting through the back door she watched as Remy was fighting two of them at once. Dot was helping Larry to his feet trying to get him out the back door. Victoria rushed to help them. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Emile helping Remy before they both went to help Thomas and Eliott. Dot and Larry made it to the backdoor before booking it to the tree line. She watched as Remy and Emile rushed past her followed by Thomas and Eliott. Thomas tried to grab Victoria's hand.

"Where's dad?" She yelled

"He isn't in the forest?"

"No!"

Another scream ripped through the air. Thomas' eyes widened. Victoria ran to where the scream came from. Thomas tried to follow her, a gunshot rang out barely missing him. He was pulled away from the house. 

Victoria went to the side of the house, a hunter had their gun trained on her dad. They were shaking. Victoria watched as her dad tried to get up again only for a second gunshot could be heard as she watched her dad fall limp. 

"No!"

Victoria rushed to him.

"S-stay back!" The hunter said in a shaky voice.

Victoria ignored him staying by her dad's side. She started sobbing as she watched what little he had left in his eyes fade before they became as glassy as her mother's had been. Voices were coming from all around her. She felt herself being pulled from her dad.

"No! I can't leave him!" She sobbed. Victoria couldn't take it anymore she wanted one of the hunters to shoot her right then and there. 

She felt herself being pulled away from her dad again. This time her wrists were chained together and a muzzle was put on her mouth. Victoria didn't care, she didn't try to fight. Guilt overwhelmed her. She could've spent more time with him, she could've talked to him about her problems instead of letting them become the only thing she could focus on. She should've been a better daughter.

Victoria felt herself being thrown into a truck. The cold metal of the floor was the only thing she could feel other than regret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a hard one to write because it got so sad at the end.


	6. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria has been caught by the Institute after her father's death. What happens when she meets someone who'll change her life forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Talk of suicide (brief), angst.

It had been hours since Victoria was thrown into the dingy little cell she was trapped in. She could hear faint voices coming from the other side of the walls. She couldn't make out what they were saying, she just knew that they were watching her. 

There was hardly any light in the cell, minus a little red light blinking periodically - a security camera no doubt. The room was tiny if Victoria stood in the middle of it she could almost touch the walls if she stretched out her arms. In the corner, a small pile of very thin blankets surrounded a very lumpy pillow. Victoria was curled up with her head on the pillow while she wrapped herself up in blankets trying to keep some semblance of warmth. She was staring blankly ahead, the events of the attack playing on repeat in her head.

There was an outline of a door across from her where she could hear someone pounding on it, angry voices coming from the other side. Still, Victoria stared. She didn't move, not even when the door opened a little and someone threw a blood bag into the cell. She didn't move when she felt her hunger start to turn from an annoying pang in her stomach to the painful feeling of her stomach trying to eat itself. She didn't move when someone came into her cell, with heavy gear to try and stop her from biting them. She didn't move when they left. Victoria didn't care about her well-being anymore, she just wanted to wither away then maybe she'd see her family again.

She would apologize for not spending more time with them, she would apologize for avoiding coming home most days because she didn't want to face her dad, she would apologize for not telling them how bad her bullying got after Janus left, she would apologize for not being a better daughter. Victoria was broken. The Institute had taken the last person she loved and killed them. She had nothing, she was nothing other than an empty shell of what she used to be.

\--------------

"Patty! Lucy! Hurry up we gotta get to headquarters!" Rachel yelled as she came into the house.

"What? What happened? Is everything okay?" Patty asked rapidly running to meet Rachel in the hallway. 

"Everything's fine! You know how the board sent a group of other hunters to attack that coven we found?" Rachel asked.

Patty looked sad, "Yeah..."

"They caught one! It didn't even attack or anything! Elijah said it ran over to him after he shot an older one, it just collapsed next to the body and tried to protect it."

"O-oh..."

"What's with all the yelling?" Lucy asked as she came downstairs.

"They caught a vampire!"

Lucy's eyes widened in shock, her mouth forming a silent 'o'. 

"That's not all," Rachel exclaimed, "They want us to train it!"

"They've never done that before," Lucy said in shock "I mean I'm excited for this...but why us?"

"They said that we're the only ones who've managed to lock themselves away," Rachel explained, "They already had someone go into the cell and it hasn't moved since they brought it there."

"She hasn't moved?" Patty asked, "Is she okay?"

"Elijah said he didn't hurt it. It looked really young and the board agreed to try and train it because it looked like it was a newly turned," Rachel explained in a rush, "Now c'mon! I want to go see it!"

/////

The three of them were looking at the monitor. They watched as Elijah went back into the cell. He wanted to try and talk to it again. They've been trying to get a reaction out of her for hours. It was starting to concern the higher-ups, they didn't want to get rid of her because she was so young. The three of them knew that if they didn't get a reaction out of her they'll have to kill her. Just like they did to the other vampires they've captured.

"We're not trying to hurt you, but you need to eat before you hurt yourself." Elijah's slightly garbled voice came from the monitor.

They watched with bated breath as the vampire slowly looked at Elijah, blinking her crimson eyes once, twice, then-

"Good."

The vampire rolled over and ignored Elijah. Patty's heart broke a little to see the vampire so sad. She wanted to go in there and demand to know who hurt it. No one should deserve to want to die so badly they'll let themselves wither away. Patty nodded to herself, her mind made up.

"I'm going in there."

She ignored her partners' protests before she opened the door to the cell and walked in.

\---------------

Victoria was getting tired of having people come into the cell and bug her with questions. She just wanted to sleep and never wake up. Is that too much to ask? She heard the door open once more.

"Kiddo?" A soft voice asked. That surprised her. Victoria rolled over ready to tell whoever it was to leave before being stopped by the sight of a girl. She had short curly blonde hair, with freckles scattered across her face. She was short but still taller than Victoria by a few inches. Most noticeably she wasn't wearing the protective gear the other people were wearing when they came in. Tears were silently running down her face.

"How old are you?" Looking at the girl again Victoria couldn't bring herself to say no to her.

"Eighteen. I was turned two years ago..." Victoria trailed off not knowing if she should share more. She looked at the girl's face. Tears were running down her face steadily now.

"W-why won't you eat?" She asked shakily

"I don't want to live anymore. Everyone I love is dead, and they aren't coming back."

"Y-you still h-have to e-eat! You'll die!"

"Good. It's hard to die when you're already dead. Believe me, I've tried."

"N-no!" Startled Victoria looked up and saw the girl was now sobbing. Victoria's hand started twitching, she wanted the girl to stop crying, she felt so bad for making her cry in the first place. Victoria watched as the girl picked up the forgotten blood bag and shoved it in front of her face.

"Y-you h-have to-to eat!" After a moment of hesitation, Victoria bit down on the bag and sucked it dry.

"...What's your name?" Victoria asked after a moment's hesitation, "Mine's Victoria."

"Patty."

Victoria watched as Patty hugged her, laying down while hugging Victoria from behind. Victoria heard soft humming from behind her, rolling over, Victoria wrapped her arms around Patty. She felt this strange urge to protect Patty from all the bad things in the world. Patty must be too good for this world if she could look at Victoria and still treat her like a person. Victoria's breathing evened out, she tightened her arms around patty before she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing Roman, Logan, and Patton.


	7. Meeting the Others

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria meets Patty's friends, though they don't react the same way Patty did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the later update and shorter chapter. I didn't know where I wanted to go with it. But I know what I'm doing for the next chapter. So this is kind of a filler.

Rachel and Lucy watched in awe as Patty got the monster to eat and answer some questions. They were both shocked as it told Patty it was turned two years ago. It was still so young!

As soon as they watched Patty hug the monster Rachel stormed out of the surveillance room, Elijah following. They didn't want Rachel to do anything stupid and ruin their chances of finding a docile vampire and train it. The board wouldn't be happy if they had to kill their test subject.

Lucy watched as Patty tried to sit up after the vampire fell asleep. Only to stop when the vampire held on tighter, refusing to let go. She watched as Patty got a soft look in her eyes as she started running her fingers through its hair. Lucy knew that look. Patty got that look whenever they found a stray dog that looked hurt. It was a look she got when she wanted to protect something. Lucy knew that Patty didn't agree with a lot of things the institute said, but she was worried that Patty would get hurt for trying to befriend the vampire. There wasn't anything Lucy could do about it now, she could just hope that Patty didn't get hurt.

\-------------------------

Patty watched as Victoria slept next to her. She wondered what could have happened to make her this sad. It made Patty's heart ache when she heard Victoria's defeated voice. Patty wanted to protect this lonely vampire, she wanted to make her smile and laugh. Patty wanted to help her.

Suddenly the door flung open revealing a very angry Rachel. 

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Patty watched as Victoria startled awake and upon seeing Rachel, shrunk in on herself. 

\--------------------------

Victoria watched as the hunter with red hair and chocolate brown eyes started yelling at Patty. Victoria was conflicted, she wanted to start fighting the hunter for ruining their peace, but she also wanted to crawl into the nearest hole and hide. Instead, Victoria was frozen. She watched as Patty stood up and cut the hunter off.

"First of all Rachel, she isn't dangerous. Second, she hasn't hurt me, and third look at her! Do you think she's a threat?"

Victoria was still frozen as Rachel turned her head to glare at Victoria. She watched as Rachel went to say something else, only to be cut off by another hunter coming in the room. 

This hunter had dark brown - almost black - hair. She had glasses like Patty and dark blue eyes.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I received a call from the heads and they informed me that we will be taking the vampire home."

If Rachel was mad before, she was furious now. Victoria watched as she stormed out of the room. She turned to look at Patty.

"When are we taking Victoria home?"

"Tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think there should be and warnings on this chapter, but if there are please tell me so I can update it.


	8. A New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria is taken to the hunters' home. Unsure what's happening and tired of feeling weak, Victoria makes a promise to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really know what to put in the summary, but I hope you like this chapter. I'm going to try updating every other day, but I'm not sure.

Victoria was getting sick of being chained. She walked out of the institute with hunters surrounding her. There were chains on her wrists, ankles, and a muzzle over her mouth. The only good thing about it was Patty holding her hand and leading her out to a car that was going to take her to their house.

The car ride to their house was silent with Rachel fuming in the front seat. Lucy was gripping the steering wheel tightly, Victoria couldn't make out her expression from where she sat. Beside her Patty was tense. Victoria stayed silent, she didn't want to make the situation worse, after all, Rachel seemed to hate her.

Rachel parked the car in front of a small two storey house. Rachel got out of the car and opened the door beside Victoria. She dragged Victoria out of the car and inside the house where Lucy and Patty were already waiting. Victoria couldn't see much of the house because as soon as Victoria got in, Rachel opened a door and shoved her in.

Before Victoria could catch her footing, the ground fell out from underneath her. When she finally stopped falling she looked up to see a stairway. Looking around Victoria saw a fireplace in front of a coffee table. little knick-knacks lined the shelves around the room. A  
couch and chair sat behind the coffee table. A flatscreen tv was on the wall. A bookshelf was pushed up against another wall.

Faintly, Victoria could hear yelling from upstairs. Sitting down on the couch Victoria curled into a ball. Just yesterday Victoria was happy, she was with her found family. She felt loved, and she felt free. Now, she was captured, she had no idea whether the rest of her coven was safe or not. Victoria refused to cry, she had done enough of that. Victoria promised herself that she wouldn't show any weakness anymore. 

"Victoria?" Victoria whipped her head around to see Patty standing behind her. Patty smiled tentatively and held out her hand. Victoria grabbed Patty's hand and started up the stairs.

"Rachel, Lucy and I decided that we would let you sleep in the living room, that way in case something happens we can help you faster."  
Victoria had an idea that that wasn't what Rachel had in mind. She wasn't sure about Lucy though.

They walked into the living room where a TV was sitting on a stand, a bookshelf was next to the TV where Victoria could see a small pile of blankets and a hook drilled into the wall. Patty led her to the blankets a sheepish smile on her face. 

"It's not as comfortable as I'd like, But Rachel wouldn't let me make the couch into a bed for you..."

Victoria nodded and sat down in the pile, where Patty tied her against the wall. She muttered a quiet, "I'm sorry," before walking upstairs. Victoria tried to get comfortable but to no avail. Sighing she just decided to lie down and try to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions and comments are welcome! If you find a spelling mistake anywhere please let me know so I can fix it.


	9. Experiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy starts to warm up to their resident vampire. She and Patty try to find someone to help them, so they can learn how to treat Victoria as an equal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I had the beginning of the chapter done before I had to take a little break. I don't think I'm going to be able to update every other day like when I began the fic. But I'm going to try to update once every week.

Victoria woke up to the sound of pots and pans banging together. Rubbing her eyes she tried to sit up only be yanked back to the ground. Right, she sighed. 

"Hey Lucy, it's awake." An icy voice said. Looking up, Victoria could see Rachel glaring at her. She turned her head to see Lucy walking into the living room, her expression unreadable.

"Thank you, Rachel. But I would like to start my experiments after we eat."

Experiments? Great. 

"Good morning Kiddo!" Victoria watched Patty come out of the kitchen, "Did you sleep well?"

Victoria internally rolled her eyes. She couldn't move much due to the chains. Overnight her muscles grew stiff since she hasn't been able to move them. She still nodded, Victoria didn't want Patty to feel bad. Patty smiled although it looked fake, her eyes had tears pooling at the sides.

"That's great Kiddo!" She turned to look at Lucy and Rachel who stayed silent, Lucy stared curiously at Victoria while Rachel was looking at the floor. Her fists were clenched together, "Breakfast is ready!"

////////

After breakfast, Patty and Rachel left, and Victoria had been moved down to the basement. While she was glad that Rachel was gone, she was concerned about what was going to happen. The door upstairs was locked, but at least she wasn't chained to the wall anymore.

Victoria sat down on the couch just as she heard a small click followed by footsteps. Lucy came down the stairs holding a bag, Victoria could smell the strong scent of garlic wafting from the bag. She wrinkled her nose. 

Lucy sat down across from her and set the bag down. Wordlessly she opened it and grabbed something from inside before closing it again. She put the thing on the table before rolling it towards Victoria. It was a silver bullet. Flinching as soon as it got close, she gripped the back of the couch before slowly climbing on it to avoid the bullet. Lucy sat and watched her curiously before uttering a single command.

"Pick it up."

Victoria's head snapped up in shock, she shook her head frantically while also cursing the muzzle she was wearing. Lucy spoke again this time firmer.

"Pick it up."

Victoria was scared, she had no idea what they wanted with her, she decided that if she played along, they might tell her what was going on. 

Carefully sitting back down she hesitantly reached out and took the bullet into her hand. It stung, immediately tears sprung to her eyes but she forced them down. She wouldn't show weakness.

"Give it to me."

Lucy opened her palm and as quickly as she could Victoria reached out and dropped the bullet in her hand. Writing something down, Lucy silently stood up and walked behind Victoria, she sat still not daring to move a muscle. She felt Lucy take off the muzzle. 

"You won't bite me, will you?" She asked in a much softer tone.

"No," Victoria muttered.

Seemingly satisfied, Lucy walked back to where she was sitting and continued on like nothing happened.

\-----------

''Lucy! I'm home!" A cheerful voice came from the hallway.

Lucy was sitting on the couch with her computer in her lap. She was researching something and called for Patty to come in. She looked up to see Patty in the doorway. She motioned her to sit down.

"I understand why you've taken a liking to our new guest," Patty looked at her, "While I was testing her I took off her muzzle to see if she'd try to attack me. She didn't move, and she hardly spoke. I have concluded that she is as dangerous as a declawed kitten."

Patty nodded wanting to speak before being interrupted by Lucy.

"I've searched online to see if there are any others like us, and I've found one person. He is an ex-hunter who moved here from England. He has a vampire."

"That's great news! He can help us with Victoria! What's his name?"

"Janus."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, comments and constructive criticism is welcome! Let me know If there's a spelling mistake anywhere so I can fix it. Let me know what you think now that the snake boi is back.


	10. Twins? Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Patty go to find Janus for help with Victoria, but what they find there might be more shocking than having to take care of a vampire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally planned the chapter to be longer, but I wanted to get it out during the week so I'm splitting it into two parts. Also Happy Pride!

The next morning Lucy and Patty left Rachel to watch over Victoria while they met with Janus. Lucy had managed to find Janus' address by less than legal means, but they decided it was worth it to make Victoria comfortable around them. The drive there was long and silent, both of them debating whether or not it was a good idea to leave Victoria alone with Rachel.

When they pulled up to the house, they noticed it was in the middle of nowhere. They had to turn onto a gravel road to get to the little two-storey house. The house itself was surrounded by trees, with a small flower garden underneath a large window with a curtain covering it preventing them from seeing inside.

They both shared a look before Lucy shrugged and got out of the car, Patty following suit. Lucy knocked on the door, it opened to reveal a tall man with vitiligo and an icy stare.

"Can I help you?" His tone was cold.

"Are you Janus?" Patty asked before she could stop herself.

"What's it to you?" He asked defensively, Lucy stepped forward and started to speak with a placating tone.

"We just want your help," Lucy started, Janus' eyes narrowed, "We were given a vampire that we have to train so it can work with the institute-" Janus opened his mouth to interrupt, "-But we don't agree with the way the institute has been treating vampires. I looked through some of the records and I found that you were tasked with training a vampire yourself. I was confused, the heads told us that this was the first time this happened. But apparently, it isn't. We were wondering if you could help us."

Janus looked at them with an expression Lucy couldn't understand before nodding and letting them into the house.

\----------

The last thing Janus expected was having two hunters stand on his doorstep telling them that - once again - the institute was trying to make a vampire into a hunter. Every few years they tried to have some unlucky person train a vampire, and every time, without fail, they never succeed. So they push the casefile into the deepest part of the archives to make sure they never saw daylight again. Turns out they didn't put them deep enough.

The two hunters who came to him reminded Janus of a younger version of himself when he was forced to join the institute in his parents' stead.

Janus had just turned seventeen, his parents were arguing in the other room again. They seemed to be doing that a lot more ever since they moved to England. They yelling was getting closer to Janus, who was in his room finishing his homework so he wouldn't get another detention. Janus didn't necessarily care about his grades, the last time he got detention though, his teachers have decided that if he gets one more detention he'll get held back a year. 

Janus knew his parents were going to kick him out the moment he turned eighteen if he refused to get the same job as them, he was going to - obviously. He didn't like that they were killing innocent people. He knew that most of the vampires they killed were people who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Janus sighed looking around his room. His parents' yells had turned into white noise a while ago. He looked down at his finished homework. But he felt a nagging in the back of his mind like he was forgetting something. Suddenly his dad burst through the door of his room, no doubt breaking the lock again. 

"We just got a call from the institute saying you denied their request to join! After all we've done for you? After we put a roof over your head, we gave you the clothes on your back! Why do you do this? Just to defy us!"'

Oh yeah, that's what he forgot. As his eighteenth birthday was soon the institute kept sending him job applications. Every time they sent him one he always throws it out or flat out denies it. The institute was growing impatient and so were his parents. Janus was getting tired of his parents trying to pressure him into this job. He stated before that he doesn't want to kill innocent people

"I told you, I don't want to kill people!" Janus exclaimed.

"You aren't killing people, you're killing demons! They aren't people anymore, they're dead! And that parasite took control! The only thing they want is blood!" His dad screamed at him. Janus was used to the screaming, the very few times that he actually paid any attention to him was when he was angry. His dad blamed Janus for everything bad that happened in his life, he never laid a finger on him though.

"I'm not taking the job!" Janus yelled, he was tired of all the yelling and he was tired of his parents trying to make him like them, ruthless killers. Janus' mind snapped back to reality as a sharp pain stung his cheek. Looking up at his dad something finally snapped into place, and some part of him died with that realization. The part of him that kept telling him his dad would change, that he'd see what he was doing was wrong and he'd finally stop all this pain and torture that he'd put innocent people through.

"I hate you!"

"Good! I never wanted a kid anyway!"

with that, his dad slammed the door shut. Janus could hear a little click as the locked slid into place. 

/////////////////

"I'm sorry Janus, but it's your parents, they didn't make it..."

////////////////

Janus ended up taking the job, he didn't have any other options. He never killed a vampire. One day the heads pulled him aside telling him that they had captured a vampire and it was his responsibility to train it to be like one of them. Janus never intended to do as they instructed, he eventually ended up quitting his job and moving back to his hometown and getting a house with Remus after they officially became boyfriends. They helped each other out whenever they felt worthless, it was just the two of them.

Now the three of them were sitting in his living room Remus was out hunting, so it was just the three of them until Remus dropped onto Janus from the ceiling glaring as the two hunters. Janus was about to tell him to quit it before one of the hunters exclaimed:

"Remus?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, Questions and constructive criticism are welcome! Also, I can't wait to write more of Remus! The next chapter is going to be from Victoria's perspective.


	11. Not A Chapter

Hey everyone! 

So, my family is moving. I won't be able to update anything, I'll try to write chapters in the meantime but I can't guarantee anything.

I'm sorry.


	12. Twins? - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! This chapter was a long one to write! It took me a while to get the rough draft done, I'm still not sure when the next update it but I'm hoping it's soon.

As soon as Patty and Lucy left Victoria knew she was screwed, of course, she was locked in the basement again. Of course, she was wearing her muzzle and chains. Of course, Rachel had left the house earlier in a fit of rage, and of course, Victoria could hear people walking around upstairs. 

She woke up a little over two hours ago. she'd watched silently as Patty and Lucy left, ignoring every instinct in her screaming to go with them to keep Patty safe from anything that so much as even looked at her.

Victoria watched as Rachel walked downstairs with a worried expression on her face. 

"Patty! Lucy! Are you here?" when no one answered her she turned to Victoria, "Where are they? What did you do to them?"

Victoria looked up from the floor only to be met with Rachel's scowling face.

"What do you mean? They left like an hour ago, they left a note on the table if you don't believe me." Victoria tried to roll over so she could go back to staring at the wall.

"I know you're lying! Tell me where they are!"

"Dude! I don't know! I - jus - just read the note!"

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Rage filled Rachel's expression. as quick as lightning she grabbed Victoria's throat. For the first time since she'd got captured, she felt a twinge of fear. The look in Rachel's eyes reminded her of Brandon, how he used to kick her to the ground, punching and kicking until she was beaten bloody. She could still feel the phantoms of their touches fleeting across her skin. 

Victoria's brain seemed to shut down, she was oblivious to the world around her yet it was like she was experiencing it in perfect detail. Something finally seemed to snap in Rachel as she threw Victoria's head back, making it hit against the wall with a dull thud. Everything was blurry but Victoria could still make out Rachel carrying something closer to her, she handcuffed her again before slamming the muzzle back on her face. muffling her screams as the silver cut into her skin. She could feel herself being dragged towards the basement door before tumbling down the stairs. 

Victoria heard the door slam shut before she was left in silence. Now she could hear whispering at the top of the stairs before the sound of the basement door creaking open filled the silence of the room

\-------------

Ever since that vampire came things have been going downhill.

Rachel knew that the vampire was to blame. It made her blood boil that it dared to put Lucy and Patty under thrall, Rachel knew that it'd done something to them. She just needed to figure out how to break the spell.

But there were more pressing matters at hand, like finding Lucy and Patty. She doubted that it killed them. No, if anything that was reserved for her. It was most likely she made them into living blood bags.

As Rachel stormed through the park an idea formed in her head, Rachel couldn't bear the thought of losing her friends - not when she'd just figured out her feelings for them. She felt like her world would collapse if she couldn't find them.

All those times they'd helped her practice lines, all those sleepovers, laughing at one of Patty's jokes, she couldn't lose those. They comforted each other, they were there for Patty when her mom died from cancer, they were there when Lucy got kicked out of her house after she came out as a lesbian, they were there for Rachel when her brother was murdered by those leeches.

No, she couldn't lose that, so, when she found her friends she was going to have to kill that mosquito and this time, make sure it doesn't come back.

\---------

"Remus?!"

Patty couldn't believe her eyes. Remus looked so much different from what she remembered. Gone was the lanky boy who she knew from high school, the person standing before her was still tall, but he'd gained more muscle, the only reason Patty could tell it was him was the white streak in his hair and his mustache. He even seemed to carry himself differently, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he seemed lighter, happier. Even though Patty could see the telltale sign of fangs peeking through his lips as he sneered at them.

"What're you doing here?" he snarled. They were both pretty taken aback. Lucy was the one who recovered first.

"We need your help."

"Okay, wait back it up here," Janus held his hand up, stopping Remus from responding, "How do you know each other?" Remus turned to look at him.

"Remember that sister I told you about?" Janus nodded, "These are her friends."

Patty looked at Remus, from where she sat she couldn't make out his expression, but something in Janus' eyes softened as he patted the spot next to him on the couch. 

"What I want to know is why you didn't come back! We thought you were dead!" Lucy spoke up.

"Good. I hated it there." Clearly, that was not the answer she was expecting, but when she opened her mouth Janus interrupted her.

"That's not important. You said you needed my help?" Patty nodded, she explained everything that happened since she met Victoria. She watched as Janus' expression darkened.

"Sure, we'll help you out. Just tell me the vampire's name." 

"Victoria Hutchins."

Patty saw the colour drain from Janus' face, he jumped off the couch where he was sitting and with wide eyes yelled,

"Take me to her!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! What are your theories about Remus? What did you think?


	13. Unexpected Guests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I've been really busy packing everything up, regular updates should start near the end of August/ beginning of September. This is sort of a filler chapter to make way for the next few chapters.

Victoria sat frozen, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. She looked around her trying to find something to defend herself with incase they were violent. her eyes found a small table lamp, she scrambled to grab it as she heard the whispers getting closer. 

Victoria hid in a corner between two bookshelves, holding the lamp like a baseball bat ready to swing at any moment. The footsteps stopped. After a tense moment of silence, Victoria heard a shaky voice fill the room.

"Hello? Anybody there?" Victoria held her breath, she risked peeking around the corner of the shelf. 

At the bottom of the stairs stood three teenagers, they looked about Victoria's age. They had the telltale scent of death around them that marked them as hunters, although it wasn't as strong as her humans. 

"They aren't here Alex, we should go home." A girl on the left said.

"No way Leah, they had to at least leave the vampire here. There's no way they'd bring it with them!" The boy - Alex her mind supplied - turned to look at the boy on his right, "You agree with me, don't you Leo?" 

"I didn't even want to come! You guys dragged me with you!" A third voice added. 

"See! He agrees with me!" Victoria snorted softly, all the voices stopped as she realized her mistake. Crap.

The footsteps started up again, this time getting closer. Victoria held her breath, if she were alive her heart would be beating out of her chest. She really wished she learned how to blend in with the shadows when Remy offered to teach her. Victoria shut her eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable.

"Oh my God."

\---------------------

"So...how do you know Victoria?" Patty asked in an attempt to break the tense silence that had fallen over them.

"She used to be my friend in school, we were both outcasts because of our looks. We had to stick together," Janus replied shortly, "How much longer?"

"Just a few more minutes," Lucy told her, eyes still on the road occasionally sparing a glance over at Remus who was glaring at everything in sight. 

Patty looked out the window as Lucy pulled into the driveway, "Hey Lucy, Rachel's car is gone." 

Lucy's head snapped over to her, "What?"

"It's gone." Lucy's eyes widened. 

"Oh no..."

\--------------

"Where'd it go?"

"I don't know! I was too busy dodging the lamp!"

"Well it can't have gone far!"

"Quit arguing! We have to find it before they get ho-"

From her hiding spot, Victoria could hear the door open and a horrified shout - no doubt coming from Lucy. Everything downstairs was a mess. 

Once the kids found her Victoria acted completely on impulse, she'd thrown the lamp without caring to see where it was going before she dashed up the stairs, she'd broke the door and scrambled towards the kitchen to get a knife. Victoria could hear the teens running up the stairs before she rushed up to the third floor where she hid under Patty's bed.

She could hear muffled voices downstairs. She was too focused on trying to figure out what they were saying to notice the near-silent footsteps coming towards her. 

"Hey," Victoria startled, almost dropping the knife that was clutched in her hands. Victoria stayed silent hoping that whoever spoke would leave. 

"I know you're hiding in here, I'm a vampire too y' know." 

Victoria sucked in a breath, what was another Vampire doing with a bunch of humans? 

"Remus? What're you doing in here?" The voice sounded familiar to her, but she didn't know why.

"Victoria's hiding in here." 

"Where?" 

There was some shuffling, and the next thing she knew a very familiar face was looking back at her.

"Janus!?"


	14. Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, it's been a while since I've updated this story, I had a little bit of writer's block so I had trouble with this chapter. Now that school's started up again I'm going to update this story every Saturday. As for Heart of the Ocean, I'm putting it on temporary Hiatus. The chapters seem rushed and I'm not happy with them. Once this story is done I might rewrite the first few chapters.

"Janus?"

Victoria couldn't believe her eyes. Janus was back! All of her pent up anger and self-loathing she'd held over the years came rushing out in a rolling tide of tears. The knowledge that finally, finally someone else with her, someone who understood her pain. 

In a split-second decision, Victoria threw herself at Janus. They were both crying now, she felt like everything that happened was some messed up dream. It was like she was back in kindergarten when she met him for the first time. 

Behind them, someone cleared their throat. Startled, Victoria threw herself backwards hitting her head on the mattress. Looking up she saw Lucy, Patty and someone she didn't recognize. 

Both Lucy, and Patty looked shocked whereas the stranger looked on in indifference. 

Janus cleared his throat, "Why don't we go to the living room to discuss what happened, okay?" His tone left no room for arguments.

Lucy blinked as if coming out of a trance, "Agreed."

\------------------

Rachel was fuming. She didn't think that this day couldn't get any worse. 

She knew that mosquito did something to her friends. Why else would they choose its side over hers! Rachel sighed as she remembered their argument last night. 

"What do you mean you think It's good? It's a vampire! They were made to kill!" Rachel shouted at a teary-eyed Patty.

"What I mean is maybe not all vampires are bad! Lucy spent a day in the basement with her and she's fine! She didn't hurt me when I was in the cell with her! She's harmless!"

Patty was crying now making Rachel wince, she hated it when Patty cried. But Rachel stood her ground. 

"Well, the time is going to come when you're going to have to choose, me or the vampire?"

"Rachel I think you should calm down now..."

"NO!"

"Fine! You want me to choose? Then I choose Victoria, at least she doesn't make me chose between my friends!"

Patty stormed out of the room with Rachel following a few minutes later.

She ended up crying herself to sleep that night thinking that one of the loves of her life was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think of a Sanders Sides Detroit become Human AU?


	15. Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to let everyone know that I and going to be rewriting Heart of the Ocean. I want people to see my best work and I feel that the story isn't at it's best right now. It feels sloppy and rushed and I want to do the story justice.

Janus led Victoria to the living room Patty and Lucy following suit. As they walked down the stairs Victoria heard some mummers from the kitchen. Looking over she saw the teenagers staring at her and Janus as they were leaving.

Victoria shuddered, they were staring at her with open mouths. Next to her Victoria could see Janus glaring at them, they looked away from them and Victoria sent Janus a grateful smile.

Once they were all sitting a tense silence filled the room. 

"So..." Patty started, "How do you know each other?" 

"We met when we were in school, we were both being bullied. We stuck together after that."

"Victoria looked up at Janus who was sitting across from her.

"What happened...after you left?"

"Long story short, my parents forced me to join the institute. They were killed during a mission after they were bitten." Janus sighed, the stranger moved closer to Janus and put his arm around his shoulders, "After that, the Heads thought it'd be a good idea for me to try and 'tame' Remus."

"I refused at first but they forced me."

"If you were apart of the institute why haven't we heard of you?" Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I worked in the UK, you wouldn't have heard of me, I had to fake my death to get out of there," Janus replied bluntly. Beside him, Remus snorted.

"Wait a minute," Patty started, "Back at your house you said that you weren't the only one who tried to train a vampire."

"Oh yeah, they try it every few years." Remus piped up.

Lucy looked like she was about to say something before Janus cut her off.

"Remus' friend was captured years ago. Ever since then he's watched the HQ for years until he was captured."

"When a vampire can't be trained, they kill it and act live it never happed, they shove the info they've gathered into the deepest part of the archives and try again years later." Remus said, "What they don't realize that the vampires they're killing in these experiments are innocent. The only time a vampire is hostile is when they're newly turned without anyone to guide them and teach them how to control their thirst. Or they've gone insane, either-or."

"So, why are they killing them?" Patty looked confused.

"Because they fear them." Remus said simply, "The heads have brainwashed everyone working for them that vampires are evil."  
Remus said simply.

"Well I guess that makes sense," Patty said, "But why were there a bunch of teenagers here?"

"While you were looking for Victoria, they told me that Rachel promised to help them study for the initiation test. When Rachel didn't show up they decided to see if she was okay."

"Speaking or Rachel where is she? She should be home..."

Victoria cleared her throat, "She left..."

"When?" Lucy asked.

"She-"

As if summoned the front door flew open and Rachel stepped in her face blank. It sent shivers down Victoria's spine she's used to seeing anger in Rachel's expression. To see her face blank scared Victoria.

When Rachel saw Lucy and Patty something flickered across her face before it died. Victoria couldn't decipher it.

Rachel's gaze turned to Victoria, Janus and Remus who had somehow hooked his feet behind a bookshelf next to the couch, he was upside down, his face was red and he was giggling occasionally. 

"Remus?"

"Hey, dearest sister of mine!" He said in a mocking tone.

"H-How are you alive?" Tears were pooling in Rachel's eyes.

Remus scoffed and muttered something that sounded like, "Oh so now you care."

It seemed Remus wasn't quiet enough because the next thing Victoria knew Rachel had gone red in the face and practically yelled,  
"Explain. Now."


	16. Divided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this out earlier today but my internet died while I was finishing the chapter. But I finally got it done. On a side note, my cat helped me write this chapter by laying on my keyboard.

"What is there to explain? Both mom and Dad hated me! They both thought you were the best thing that happened to them." Remus said venomously.

"That doesn't mean you should fake your death!" Rachel practically screamed.

"I didn't fake my death," Remus said mockingly while he rolled his eyes, "I just ran as far away from those killers-" Rachel gasped, "-you call parents as I could! Getting turned into the one thing they hate the most was just an added bonus."

Rachel's eyes widened with abject horror, "No-"

"Oh yes, I'm one of those freaks now," Remus spat, "Just another thing they'll hate me for." The last part was barely above a whisper but Victoria still heard it.

It seems Janus did too because he stepped up beside Remus and placed an arm on his shoulder. Janus whispered something in his ear but Victoria was too far to hear.

In front of them, Rachel scoffed, "They didn't hate you."

"Yes, they did!" Remus yelled with a crazed glint in his eye, "You were just too blind to notice!"

Victoria felt a stab of pity for Remus who must've had parents so terrible to him it was better to be turned into an undead husk of a person than live under their roof any longer. Strangely Victoria was reminded of when she was younger when she could hear Janus' parents screamed at him for getting into trouble, that seemed so far away now.

Victoria was also reminded of her mother, she was older when she realized that her parents weren't happy together and her mother feared her father. Victoria could still remember those nights she'd lie awake at night hearing her mother screaming or pleading at her father. She wondered if she felt like Remus. Willing to do something so extreme just to get away.

Victoria stood up and put her hand on Remus' shoulder, she looked into his eyes and could see all the unshed tears he's held back, "I'm sorry," She whispered barely audibly. Remus heard though, and he smiled, one that showed they were in this together, they both found someone else who knows what they're going through after being alone for so long.

"I can't believe it, my own brother." They both looked at Rachel who looked disgusted.

"After all this time. I thought you'd be the one to understand...I guess I was wrong..." Remus trailed off, "My own sister..."

"I'm not your sister." Rachel said firmly. "Maybe you should do what you do best and leave."

Remus let out a sob as Janus started pulling him to the door.

"Wait!" Patty yelled, suddenly speaking out, she looked horrified at what Rachel said, "Remus you can stay. But Rachel," She took a deep breath and reached out to hold Lucy's hand in a firm grip, "I think it'd be best if you left, and didn't come back..."

"What?" Rachel asked incredulously, her mouth gaping.

"You heard me." Patty said, just from the tone of her voice Victoria could tell she was holding back tears, "Ever since we brought Victoria home you've been acting differently. I think it's for the best that you left-"

"Are you really siding with it?"

"He was killed, Rachel!" Patty shrieked, "And so was Victoria! They're still the same people! If you can't see that then-then-"

Patty broke off into sobs, Lucy patted her back looking awkward while Victoria moved from beside Remus to hug Patty.

Victoria wasn't completely sure why she did it, maybe something about Patty reminded her of a younger version of herself that she wanted to protect, or maybe it was because Patty was the first one to treat her like a person. But as Patty's arms wound around her she felt like she was finally at home.

"Lucy..."

Victoria looked over Patty's shoulder to see a shocked Janus holding Remus while Rachel looked on like she'd been told the sky was falling. Lucy shook her head at Rachel whose expression hardened.

"Fine."

With that, Rachel turned on her heel and walked out the door. covering the room in a heavy blanket of silence only broken by Remus' occasional sobs.

///////

"Damn it!" Rachel slammed her hands on her dashboard before zooming towards HQ.

Her mind was racing.

That stupid no good- I should've killed it when I had the chance!

If anything that thought made her madder. She pushed the foot on the gas pedal to the floor.

She made it to HQ in record time, (granted she was speeding) She was surprised she didn't get pulled over, Rachel doubted she'd care either way.

After precariously parking her car in front of the building she threw open the doors. Rachel could hear someone call out her name before going silent after seeing her expression.

She made a beeline to reception and almost slammed her hands down on the desk but caught herself last minute.

"I need to speak to the Heads." Rachel said through grit teeth.

"Do you have an appointment?" A bored-looking secretary asked before being cut off.

"Rachel!" She gave a frustrated sigh before turning to see who called her, it was her father, "I didn't know you were coming in today!"

"I didn't either but it's very important and I need to see the Heads."

"Woah slow down there, where are Patty and Lucy? Do they know you're here?" He asked, concern lacing his voice. At the mention of her friends' (Rachel didn't even know if she should call them that anymore) names, she forced down a surge of betrayal.

"No, but it's very important! It's about the vampire." Her dad raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Judging from your expression I can tell that's not all."

"There is something else..." She trailed off.

"What is it?"

Rachel took a deep breath before answering, "Remus is one of them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this week's chapter! Stay safe! next chapter The Heads


	17. The Heads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, sorry for the shorter chapter but google docs is trying to kill itself when I write so I had to make a new document with the second half of the story, so if there's anything wrong in the next few chapters blame google docs. Also, we are officially halfway through the story! wooo! Thank you guys for sticking with me through my ridiculously long break.

The heads of the institute are the sons and daughters of the original founders. They usually have assistants who were either new to the business or were just starting to work there. The assistants did the heads' dirty work, like going on missions or tracking down someone for a secret project.

Hardly anyone saw the heads unless they were getting assigned one of the projects, were getting fired or a vampire the heads had to kill since it kept evading the hunters.

Needless to say, despite her instance earlier, Rachel was nervous. These people were trained to kill since they've learned to walk.

Standing outside the door to their shared office Rachel took a deep breath and reminded herself why she was there. 

A hand landed on her shoulder startling her out of her thoughts. She turned to look at her dad who was standing beside her.

"You're going to be okay Kiddo," He said, "Just tell them about Remus and you'll be fine, just- be confident."

Taking another deep breath Rachel nodded at her dad and opened the door. She was met with the sight of two women and a man sitting behind a desk.

"Ah Rachel, what can we do for you?" The man asked he had brown hair and a kind smile. 

"You know my name?" Rachel asked slightly awed.

"Of course," A girl with blonde hair and glasses spoke, "You're training that vampire we brought in a few days ago."

"Oh yeah, about that..." She trailed off, "The vampire seems to be more powerful than we thought because it put Lucy and Patty under its thrall and convinced them to find another vampire, and - and-"

"Just spit it out already." A sour-looking woman said.

"It's Remus, they found Remus! And I think they're planning some sort of rebellion!"

"Why do you think that?" The blonde woman asked.

"They also found someone who used to work here, and he talks about how he thinks you're always lying to everyone."

The three of them suddenly grew serious and Rachel tensed thinking she did something wrong. The three of them glanced at each other before the man pushed a button on the desk.

"Lydia!"

A girl a little older than Rachel walked into the room, "Yes?"

"Get the news station over here fast! It's time we made an announcement."

/////

"So Remus, if I may ask, how did you get turned?" Lucy asked

"Lucy!" Patty scolded

"No, it's okay, after I found out what the institute did to mom I decided that I didn't want to live in a house that supported murderers."

Victoria was sitting next to Janus on the couch with Patty and Lucy sitting across from them while Remus hung upside down from a bookshelf next to them. The TV was playing softly in the background.

Lucy asked Remus another question while Victoria tuned them out, instead, she focused on the TV which had switched to the news station. 

"The Heads of the institute have declared war against the vampires! They've also stated that if you think a vampire is-"

Victoria tuned the woman out, she could feel her whole world fall apart with those simple words, and she hoped that the family that she had to leave behind was safe.

////

Across the country in a secret bunker built centuries ago, a group of vampires listened to the broadcast on an old radio. They all paled considerably when they heard what was going on.

A vampire wearing sunglasses and holding a half-empty coffee mug piped up, "Well, we're screwed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again let me know if you see any mistakes and I will fix them, and thank you for sticking with me I really appreciate it. Next chapter The revolution.


	18. Revolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I wasn't able to post on Saturday I was really busy but I'm posting the chapter today and another one on Saturday so this should make up for it! I would also like to take the time to say I've made a Tik Tok account called depressi_spaghetti it's just me posting my art.

Now, there’s something you need to know about vampires, the oldest the most powerful vampires made a group called the council. They help newly turned vampires learn how to survive their new way of life and they teach them how to evade the institute.

Every blood moon vampires from around the world get together, when Remsu heard the institute's threat he made a plan that involves the council.

* * *

When Victoria fell asleep last night she did not expect to wake up in the middle of the forest with a grinning Remus right above her face.

Startled, her instincts kicked in and she punched Remus square in the face before jumping up. She turned around to see Remus grinning holding his nose.

“Where are we?” She demanded.

“I’m glad you asked Racoon!” She grimaced at the nickname, “Since the blood moon’s tonight I took it upon myself to get us to the meeting!”

“Huh-but-what?” Victoria stammered.

Remus had already started walking away, “C’mon, you need to hurry up or else we’ll be late,” He said, “And nice arm by the way,” He said as an afterthought.

Not wanting to be alone Victoria followed.

“Oh! And don’t worry about Patty and Lucy I asked Janus to fill them in about the whole blood moon thing!”

///////

“They what?” Patty yelled.

“To be fair, it’s more Remus’ idea than Victoria’s or mine, especially considering Victoria wasn’t exactly conscious when they left.”

Janus was sitting across from a hyperventilating Patty holding onto Lucy for dear life. 

“Are you sure it’s safe? I mean with the institute-”

“I didn’t exactly have a say in this, if I told Remus no, he still would’ve gone. Besides, there’s going to be thousands of powerful vampires there, if the institute somehow managed to find the meeting spot, they’d be completely outnumbered.

///////

“So what’s your plan again?” Victoria asked

“We’re going to tell the council about the institute’s threat and then they’ll take it from there!”

“That’s it? That’s your master plan!?”

“I mean yeah, pretty much!” He said cheerfully as he skipped ahead humming to himself.

“Lord help us all,” Victoria muttered.

“I heard that!”

/////

Rachel watched as her colleague questioned the vampire again before it’s piercing screams rang through the air. The other people in the room laughed at it’s anguish.

This went on for a few more minutes before a gunshot rang out through the room.

Her colleague walked back into the room wiping the blood off his face.

“So what’s the plan?” The person next to Rachel asked.

“We have more of those bloodsuckers here right?”

“Yeah.”

“I say we put tracking chips in them and follow them to their little meeting.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Rachel looked back into the interrogation room as everyone in the room started discussing the details of their plan, she saw the mangled corpse of the vampire they were questioning, it looked so much like Patty that for a split-second Rachel thought it was Patty. It had blonde curly hair, and freckles with blue eyes that were now dull and lifeless like a porcelain doll’s.

Rachel tried not to imagine Patty in the vampire’s place, she tried not to imagine how the vampire would have acted if it were still alive.

It was then that Rachel realized that it had been alive before her colleague shot it, it just wasn’t alive in the same way that Rachel was.

For the first time in a long time Rachel felt guilty for what she’d done and she realized that she’d made a huge mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone who voted/commented on this, we are getting close to the end of the story and I really appreciate the feedback!


	19. Warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry that it's so short, I'm sick and I wanted the chapter to be longer but I can't find the energy to do it.

Rachel Definitely broke some laws on her way home. She felt awful for putting Remus through that, and for yelling at Victoria. 

Racing home Rachel could just hope they’d believe her. She rehearsed her apology to them in her head while driving.

Pulling into the driveway she barely parked the car before she flung the door open and ran up to the front door where she waited impatiently for someone to answer.

“What do you want Rachel?” Lucy asked once she saw who was at the door.

“I need to speak with you guys, please!” Rachel asked desperately.

“Why? So you can yell at us some more?” Lucy’s gaze turned icy as she started to close the door.

Rachel put her foot in the way, “Please! Remus and Victoria could be killed!”

Janus came up behind Lucy, “Since when do you care about them? The last time you were here you screamed at them.”

Rachel winced remembering what she’d done.

“Please they’re in danger! The institute is going to track down the meeting place and slaughter everybody! They’re broadcasting the search right now!”

“What?!” Rachel couldn’t see who said that but she could guess it was Patty. The sound of the TV being turned on filled the tense silence, “She’s right!”

Janus turned to look at Rachel, fear filling his expression, “Let’s go.”


	20. Preparing For War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week's chapter was fun to write, I know Remus is a little bit ooc and I'm sorry. Since Halloween is next week how would you guys feel about a one-shot in the stakes and coffins universe? Let me know in the comments!

“Hey, Remus can I ask you a question?” Victoria asked. They were sitting at the edge of the meeting place waiting for the sun to set. 

Remus looked over at her, “Go ahead.”

“Why do you hate the institute so much?”

“Other than the whole ‘they’re trying to kill us’ thing?” Remus asked sarcastically.

“I know it sounds like a dumb question but what made you hate them before you were turned?”

Remus took a deep breath.

“There were a lot of reasons I hated them, my dad worked for them and he kept trying to push us to believe that vampires are evil. I was closer to my mom when she was alive, she was more open-minded about vampires. Before the institute went public she tried to show people that vampires weren’t the evil bloodsuckers everyone makes them out to be.

That made her a liability in the institutes’ eyes. They killed her and told us she was killed by vampires. Rachel believed them, but I knew better.”

“I’m sorry-” Victoria started.

“No, you’re not,” Remus said bitterly.  
There was a moment of silence.

“My mom was the same. She thought that vampires weren’t all bad. After my dad got turned things went downhill. Before I was turned I came home to see my mom dead and my dad in a frenzy, I woke up like this.” Victoria said, “So yeah, I am sorry for bringing it up.”

Remus looked at her for a second then-

“You’re alright.”

Down in the clearing, the council started appearing, along with other vampires.

“That’s our cue,” Victoria said.

They both made their way down, greeting vampires along the way.

Every time they were stopped Victoria would look around hopefully for a sign of her coven. She had no clue if they were alive and she could only hope.

“What are you looking for?” Remus asked after they managed to get away from a group of older vampires.

“My coven, I was with them before I got captured, I don’t even know if they’re alive or not.”

“Well, we can look for them after we tell the council about the institute’s threat. Okay?”

“Okay-”

“Victoria?” A familiar voice called out.

Victoria turned around to see who said her name.

“Thomas?” She called.

Thomas ran up and hugged her.

“I missed you so much, we thought you were dead!”

“I missed you too,”

“C’mon! The others are looking for you!” Thomas said as he started dragging her towards them. She turned to look at Remus.

“You’ll be okay right?”

“I’ll be fine.”

//////

Around the meeting spot, the institute parked vans outside of it.

The vans were filled with weapons ranging from wooden stakes to silver bullets.

Everyone who worked at the institute were in these vans.

“What’s taking so long?” Someone complained.

Rachel was sitting in a van with four other people. One of which was the person who brought Victoria in.

“We’re waiting for the heads’ signal, just be patient.” Rachel said silently praying that their plan would work.


	21. Sabotage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Halloween chapter will be posted later today as a one-shot. 
> 
> TW for this chapter:
> 
> Gun Mention  
> Death Mention (Vaguely)

Patty, Lucy, Janus and Rachel were in the car Rachel was going so fast she'd lost count of how many people had honked at her or given her the middle finger. 

“We need a plan.” Lucy had said.

“Everyone working at the institute will be gone right?” Janus asked, after seeing Rachel’s nod he continued, “Do any of you know how to disable cameras, keypads, and motion sensors?”

“I do,” Lucy said.

“Great. Patty, do you know where they keep their records?”

“Yes, why?”

“We’re going to send all of their files to a new station and expose them.”

“What do you mean?” Patty asked.

“Oh Patty, you’ve never seen what’s in those files have you? They’re pretty messed up.” Rachel said, never once taking her eyes off the road.

“Exactly. The records hold our key to winning this. I know from my time working there that they keep records of what goes on in the international branches, we can take down all of them! Although the worst files will be stored in the head’s office.”

//////

They’d managed to break into the security room where Lucy deleted the footage of them coming in and was now typing away trying to disable the security system.

“Dammit.” She muttered.

“What?” Patty asked. 

“I need a code to get in, I can’t figure it out.”

“You know how to hack into things right?” Janus asked, Lucy, nodded “Then just hack into it.”

A few minutes go by filled with the sound of Lucy typing away at the computer.

“Got it.”

“Good, let’s go.”

Patty led them towards the record room. They had agreed they’d start there and go to the head’s office later.

Once they got to the record room they had Lucy pick the lock, Janus went straight to a section titled ‘international.’ while Lucy went to a section named ‘Vampires’, while Patty headed towards one named ‘Staff’.

A long time passes in silence broken only by the rustling of paper or the sound of a phone camera snapping a picture. Every so often one of them would move to a different section.

Patty looked down at her phone two hours had passed and the sun had set an hour ago. They were running out of time.

“We need to go, we’re running out of time,” Patty said. They all took a few more pictures before heading out the door then booking it to the head’s office. 

Patty and Janus went to the filing cabinets and Lucy went to the computer once they got there.

Patty was rifling through files when one caught her eye. It was a section titled ‘Liabilities’. She dropped the files in her hand and started going through the files, taking a picture of every one. She didn’t really look at the pages until a name jumped out at her.

It was Rachel’s mom. 

Patty read through the file feeling sicker and sicker.

“Uh, Lucy?”

“What is it?” Lucy asked, coming over.

“It’s Rachel’s mom…”

Janus looked up from what he was doing and looked over Patty’s shoulders next to Lucy.

“We have to show her this,” Lucy said.

“Agreed.”

Patty took a picture of the file and pressed ‘send’.

From behind them, they heard a click of a gun. The three of them whipped their heads around to see one of the teens standing in a doorway holding a gun. 

“Drop the file.”

//////

Rachel listened to her coworker drone on and on about how bored she was when her phone dinged with a notification.

Grateful for the distraction, Rachel turned on her phone and opened the notification.

It was a picture from Patty. A file labeled ‘Liability’, on the file a picture of her mother with the word ‘Eliminated’ stamped across it in big bold letters.  
She read through the file and felt her world shatter.

Rachel was vaguely aware of everyone in the van asking if she was alright. Slowly she came back to herself.

“I’m fine.” She lied, she felt like screaming. She barely heard the signal to start attacking before all hell broke loose.


	22. War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to write.
> 
> TW:
> 
> Death  
> Guns  
> Blood  
> Knives

“It seems we have some unwanted guests tonight,” The head of the council addressed the crowd. From where Remus was standing he shot Victoria a toothy grin, “The institute has this place surrounded, they’re planning on killing us.” A murmur of unease went through the crowd. Victoria could feel the fear rippling through them.

“We’re going to have to fight for our lives! We can’t lose hope-”

They were cut off, the sound of gunshots rang through the clearing. A few vampires went down howling in pain. Every Vampire who wasn’t injured hit the deck.

There was a pause in the shooting, no doubt for them to reload, before someone yelled, “Charge them!”

Most of the Vampires immediately got up and started running towards the institute workers, Victoria was with them.

They chose the perfect time for this, She thought wryly as she ran, We’re like sitting ducks or headless chickens running around without a clue trying to prevent the inevitable.

Victoria body slammed into an institute worker, ammo went flying everywhere.

Underneath her, the worker tried to kick her off before she punched him. He went limp beneath her.

An arm shot across her line of vision and wrapped around her neck. Catching a glance at her attacker she saw it was the girl she threw a lamp at.

Silently thanking Janus for convincing her to learn how to fight, she knocked her head against the teens. The arm around her neck went limp. She turned to look at her attacker and saw she had a bloody nose.

Victoria rushed forward and wrestled her gun from her grip. She knocked the gun against the girl’s head. Victoria checked the gun - it still had ammo. She looked around her and saw Remy fighting a losing battle with five institute workers.

Victoria took aim and shot two of them while Remy overpowered and knocked one out before he tackled the other two.

Victoria heard stomping behind her and whipped around to see a worker running at her, she turned and hit him to the ground with her gun before shooting him.

“Nice fighting Racoon!” A voice beside her said. She smiled when she saw that Remus was unharmed save for a busted lip and a black eye.

From behind him, she saw a worker come up behind him. Before she could warn him he fell to the ground with wide eyes.

The worker was holding a bloodied knife.

“Remus!”

She lined up the gun and shot on to realize she was out of ammo. Throwing the gun aside she was getting ready to run at him when he fell to the ground. Behind him, Victoria could see Rachel holding a gun aloft with tears streaming down her face.

“Rachel?”

//////

“Put the file down.”

Janus recognized the boy from when he was reunited with Victoria.

Patty dropped the file and stood up. Lucy and Janus followed suit. Janus leaned close to Lucy and whispered, “Send the new station the pictures and their location.” He received a subtle nod in return.

Janus moved in front of Lucy to hide her.

“H-How did you know we were here?” Patty asked with a quiver in her voice.

“The Head’s office has a separate security system. The Head’s thought something like this would happen so they left me here.” 

Janus cursed their stupidity, of course, the most important room in the building would have a separate security system! Besides him Patty started trembling, he knew he’d have to keep the boy distracted while Lucy worked.

“They told you to be at the house too, didn’t they? The Head’s?” Janus asked.

“Yeah, they wanted us to make sure you guys didn’t go AWOL.”

Behind Janus, a TV screen lit up and the chime of the news station played.

“No!”

While he was distracted Janus ran forward, snatched the gun out of his hands, and knocked him out.

“We need some rope.”

They left the building minutes later with any footage of them in the office deleted and the boy tied up in a chair.

They got into Lucy’s car and followed the line of police cars towards the meeting place.


	23. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter before the Epilogue so technically this story is finished. I'm going to be honest for a second, I didn't expect this story to get as popular as it did. I would like to thank everyone who left a comment or kudos because I don't think I would've had the motivation to finish this without you guys.

Victoria fell to her knees beside Remus, she was distantly aware that people were fleeing the clearing whether it was the vampires or the workers she didn’t know - although something told her if it were the vampires she’d be shot on sight.

Tentatively she reached out a hand and checked his pulse. His heart was still beating, she looked up at Rachel who was looking at her expectantly.

“He’s alive.” She said.

“Oh thank god!” Rachel breathed.

Victoria looked around and saw police flood the clearing, they started arresting the stray Institute workers who hadn’t run.

Doctors followed the police, a group of them went straight to the council while the others started laying out stretchers.

“Victoria,” Rachel said, she turned, “Help me get him to the stretchers.”

Victoria pulled Remus’ arm around her shoulder and slowly but surely they made their way to the doctors.

One saw them coming and came over to help them get Remus situated, though they flinched at the smile Victoria gave them.

Rachel pulled Victoria to the side so the doctors could work.

“So where’d you learn to fight like that?” Rachel asked, Victoria gave her a look.

“Janus taught me how to fight when we were younger, but my coven taught me how to use a gun.”

“Why?”

“I had to learn how to survive when the institute came knocking somehow.”

“...And the killing?”

“This wasn’t my first rodeo.”

In truth before she was captured Victoria had fought with the workers before, almost all of them ended up dead. When she was captured there were just too many workers to fight.

The first time she’d killed someone the guilt ate her up alive. After the next few times she’d grown numb to it, she still hated to do it because she knew it made her just as bad as them, and that thought scared her more than she’d like to admit.

“I’m sorry.” Rachel said.

“It’s fin-”

“No, it’s not! I was a huge jerk to you, I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”

“Victoria!”

She turned to look at the voice, “Remy! Is everyone okay?”

“Everyone’s fine, we got worried when we couldn’t find you.”

“Victoria! Rachel!” Before she could get another word out she was tackled into one of Patty’s bear hugs. She could barely hear Remy’s “I’ll see you around!”

“Oh! We were so worried about you! You’re okay right?”

“I’m fine, but what happened to the institute?” She asked.

“It was Janus’ idea,” Lucy started, “He thought that if we showed the world what the institute keeps under wraps they’d finally take them down.”

Victoria looked at Janus who was crouched down beside Remus.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Lucy said as she joined in on the hug.

Victoria saw Rachel standing a little ways away looking dejected, she motioned for her to come join them.

As the four embraced the sun started to rise, symbolizing the dawn of a new era.


	24. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading! Next week I'm updating Heart of the Ocean, and I really sorry about the wait for that one.

\- One year later -

Victoria, Remy, and Remus were waiting in a Starbucks for their order. She wasn’t surprised that out of everyone in her coven Remy became friends with Remus, both were eccentric and extroverted, both never seemed to sleep, and out of everyone Victoria knew Remy was the most likely to join Remus on his “adventures.”

Their names were called and once they got their order they left the shop chatting away.

After the war, Victoria’s coven moved closer to the city as well as Remus and Janus. Thomas offered to let Victoria move in with them but Patty asked (Read, begged) Victoria to stay with them. Victoria could never resist Patty’s puppy eyes.

They passed a blood donor clinic on their way. After vampires were accepted by the majority of the public, blood donor clinics seemed to pop up overnight. They were made to make sure vampires didn’t go hungry and kill off a lot of people in their frenzy. Lucy asked Victoria about them one day and she replied, “It beats killing small animals in the woods.”

Of course, there were people who didn’t accept vampires into the community, they passed a protest on their way back and their conversation stopped. Usually, those protests were led by ex - Institute workers that managed to escape jail.

Remy and Remus dropped her off at her house where she was greeted by Patty with a peck on her cheek.

That was a newer development. A few months after the war Patty, Lucy and Rachel started dating, and a few months after that they brought Victoria into their relationship.

Patty pulled Victoria into their cuddle pile, surrounded by blankets and pillows. Yeah, Victoria thought, Life is great.

End

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is welcome, please let me know if there's a spelling mistake anywhere so I can fix it.


End file.
